Love's Not a CompetitionExcept When it is
by Apollo Child1512
Summary: A story in which Wendy is toxic, Stan is oblivious and Kyle just can't take anymore -Full Summary Inside- Style-centric, Bunny and Curly Goth/OC side stories.
1. Chapter 1: The Best Part of Believe

Chapter 1: The Best Part of "Believe" is the Lie

He was an actor, playing a role, singing a song and doing his very best to make everyone around him buy the lies he was selling. He tried his best to bury that tug in his chest, to hide his flushed face and keep his musings to himself, but those damn blue eyes, that smile, everything about him was intoxicating. But he was unavailable tied to a girl who seemed to make it her mission to make them miserable. The worst part of it all was he kept going back, every time Wendy broke up with Stan it was Kyle who had to pick up the pieces and when they were together it was Kyle who was left behind. What Stan didn't realize was Kyle was always there; _always_ even when it hurt. Some days it was easy for Kyle to pretend he wasn't in love with Stan Marsh. Maybe one day he would actually believe his own lie.

-{}-

Kyle was currently in the basement of the Lopez residence, Stan had ditched him yet again and he went to the only person he felt he could talk to: Sophia Lopez known to most as Starr for her ability to stand out in a crowd despite her best efforts. She had moved to South Park from Chicago freshman year and had been with Stan and friends ever since.

"Kyle, come on you can't tell me you didn't see this coming?" Starr questioned the moping redhead.

"He promised." Kyle mumbled.

"Jesus," Starr groaned. "How many times are you gonna let him do this to you dude? How many times are you gonna let that bitch win?!" Starr harbored a deep animosity for Stan's raven haired girlfriend and her controlling nature after doing a stint as the choreographer for the dance team. Wendy decided that she didn't like the routine a week before the game and changed it then had the nerve to blame Starr for the lackluster performance. Long story short Starr didn't take too well to that and the two got into a fight, Starr branched off and formed her own dance team; the two haven't spoken a kind word since.

"You only say that because you hate Wendy's guts." Kyle countered turning toward her.

"That has very little to do with it, I've seen what she's done to Stan and the effect it has on you, that gives me more fuel to hate to her."

Kyle laughed chucking popcorn at her.

"I hope you know you're helping clean this shit up."

"Yeah, yeah, what are you doing?"

Starr was shoving another handful of popcorn into her mouth while looking at something on her computer. She tossed her second earbud to Kyle while she chewed and rewound the video she was playing. Soon she and Kyle were nodding along to the Christina Aguilera, Nicki Minaj tag-team.

"I like, what do you want to do with it?" Kyle asked. Starr just stared at him. "Oh no, no no, not happening."

"Aww, Kyle come on, you got a gift!"

"Starr, I told you I was through with that I got to focus on my career path."

"Kyle you have been focused on your career path since you were a fetus, doing a little dancing on the side is not gonna throw a wrench in your plans, Mr. Medical School." Before Kyle could respond _Bang the Doldrums_ by Fall Out Boy started blaring from Starr's phone.

"Well, well, well" she muttered answering it. "Hey Stan" There was murmuring from the other end and Starr glanced at Kyle who began to rapidly shake his head.

"Nope, he's not here." Starr pursed her lips. "You know what I don't like your tone." More silence followed and Kyle assumed Stan was ranting on the other end.

"Well fuck you too bitch!" Starr shrieked into the phone her voice going almost impossibly high in annoyance. "Look dude I can't make him talk to your negligent ass if he doesn't want to." Starr rolled her eyes at whatever Stan said before pulling the phone from her ear and pressing the speaker button.

"Did you do it?" Stan asked his voice garbled by the phone's speaker.

"I most certainly did Lord Dumbass, and might I say you have quite a bit of ass-kissing to do." Starr replied sweetly.

"Fuck you, Starr."

"Love you too Stanny-boy." Starr cackled.

"Look, Ky I'm sorry I know I said today was your day but something came up."

"That's what you always say." Kyle whispered.

"What?"

"He said: 'That's what you always say.'" Starr translated.

"Can you hand him the phone?" Starr sighed and stretched across the couch to pass the phone to the redhead. Kyle took it off speaker and put it to his ear.

"I'm really starting to get tired of this dude." Kyle stated. "You've done it six times this month alone."

There was silence and Starr could tell that Stan was trying to plead his case.

"That's the problem Stan, it always has been, she always gets top priority and nobody else fucking matters to you!" Kyle sighed through his nose. "You know what I can't do this right now and Starr wants her phone back, get back to me when your done being an asshole."


	2. Chapter 2: I Don't Blame You

Chapter 2: I Don't Blame You for Being You but You Can't Blame Me for Hating It

A/N

So now that I've introduced the story a bit we're going to do this from each character's perspective as it pertains to the overall plot so some characters might get more focus than another but I will try to keep it as even as possible.

~Apollo Child1512

**Starr**

After the clusterfuck of a weekend Starr really wanted nothing to do with school on Monday, between the whole Stan/Kyle situation and the surprise project in her African-American Studies class Starr was done. As she sat at her usual table she looked around and took a mental head count. _Ok, Fatass. Check. Stan. Check. Kyle's at the microwave…_

"Where the hell are Kenny and Butters?" she asked stabbing her spork into a pineapple chunk.

Stan gave her a grim look and Starr immediately groaned, "Are you fuckin' kidding me!?"

Stan shook his head, "Some shit obviously popped off at his place he came into first period late as hell and sporting a black eye. Butters went to help him get cleaned up."

Starr placed her head in her hands and sighed.

"Please tell me Karen's ok?" she asked.

"Karen's fine aside from a busted lip, I took the brunt of it." Answered a voice behind her causing her to whip around.

"You idiot, what do we pay your damn phone bill for if you're not gonna use it when shit like this happens?" Starr exclaimed.

"I'm fine." Kenny replied the statement only further spurring Starr's anger.

"Bullshit your eye is swollen shut, I told you time and time again if you need me all you gotta do is show up on my doorstep."

Kenny sighed and Butters smiled sadly as the two took seats to her right, "I tell him the same thing, my parents are outta town for a few w-weeks him and Karen can stay with me." Butters turned to Kenny "If that's ok with you Ken?"

Kenny pondered for a moment and then caught Starr's eye, and she delivered a glare that left no room for argument.

"Alright, we'll stay but only for a few days."

"Excellent." Starr chirped motioning for Butters to scoot closer, "So you, me, Thursday; junk food and _Scandal_"

"How could I forget, so all three of us will be at your place then?" Butters asked.

"Yep, no need to leave Kenny and Karen at your house by themselves."

"Hey, guys." the _Scandal _talk was interrupted by Kyle's arrival to the table.

"Hey, Ky." Stan muttered. Starr looked on as the redhead regarded his best friend coldly.

"Stan." Kyle replied.

"Look dude I'm sorry, I never-"

"Save it, Stanley you always say that and then you go and do it again a week later. I'm sick of it"

"Eeeww, go take your gayness somewhere else fags." Cartman groaned in disgust. Starr's foot lashed out striking Cartman's knee.

"OW, what the fuck?!"

"You know what, now shut up fatass." Starr snapped.

"EY, fuck you you border hopping bitch!" Cartman yelled. Starr stared at him blandly.

"I was born here, _puta._"

"So I bet your parents are border hopping freeloaders!"

"My father was born here and he's a therapist, my mother moved here LEGALLY and is a nurse, so your argument is invalid."

"I call bullshit."

"Hey, leave her alone, fatass!" Kyle yelled.

"No one was talking to you, you fucking Jew." Cartman retorted. Stan groaned irritably as the bickering between Kyle and Cartman continued while Starr sat quietly and watched his expressions.

"For once Cartman shut the fuck up!" Stan snapped. '_Whoa, there Stan.' _Starr thought. "Look Kyle I'm sorry can we just talk about this, my place maybe?"

"Nope, I have plans. Besides there's nothing else to talk about." Kyle muttered.

"Kyle I would've come but Wendy-"

"There it is right there is the fucking problem, every time she comes into the picture it's like the rest of us don't exist!" Starr looked at Stan's stunned face and sighed she had hoped it wouldn't come to this but Kyle was hurt bad and had pent up his feelings for too long. "You dump your friends for a bitch who's only with you to up her social status! Then when Wendy gets bored she leaves you and moves on to the next. And who the fuck has to pick up the pieces? Me, I'm the one who has to put you back together after she rips you apart. Well guess what, I'm not fucking doing it anymore, I refuse to play second fiddle to Wendy Testaburger and will not watch you fall apart because of her!" Kyle sighed and Starr watched his shoulders slump tiredly. "I can't do it anymore Stan, I'm done." Starr watched Kyle leave the cafeteria his food still on the table.

"Well, Kyle has one sandy vagina." Cartman murmured.

"Cartman stop being an ass." Kenny retorted as Starr stood packing Kyle's food away. She then disposed of her tray, grabbed her and Kyle's things and walked out of the cafeteria with a sad glance at Stan. On the way out Wendy pushed past her coming into the room.

"Watch it Lopez." Wendy sneered.

"Don't start bitch, go check on Stan 'cause you may have just ended his longest friendship." Starr snapped.


	3. Chapter 3:Trying to Forget Everything

Chapter 3: Trying to Forget Everything That isn't You

**Michael **

Fourth period the one class on Michael's schedule that seemed to never end. It was filled to bursting with wannabe non-conformists. Those activist type that needed a cause to rally behind constantly, it made Michel sick. He wouldn't even be subjected to this torture if it weren't for his idiot parents. The assholes were sick of him skipping class and told him that if he didn't bring his grades up and get his diploma he would have to find a new place to live. _Complete bullshit. _he thought bitterly. They knew damn well his job at the record store didn't pay nearly enough to live on and pay rent so that left him one option: school (prison). Michael found himself actually going to class and paying attention these days. So instead of smoking in the back with his friends he was stuck in fourth period. There was nothing wrong with the class itself the discussions were interesting, the topics controversial, and the arguments many and that was the problem. Sometimes people didn't know how to agree to disagree i.e the two chicks who seemed to LOVE screaming at each other and today, unfortunately for Michael, was one of those days.

"What happens between me and my boyfriend is between me and my boyfriend!" Wendy screeched. "What is so difficult to understand?"

"That's funny I could ask you the same thing since I just explained to you how this shit works." Starr muttered. Michael sighed as he watched the exchange wishing they'd get over whatever beef they had with each other. Michael didn't have a problem with either girl, well that was a lie. Testaburger's preppy, know-it-all nature got under Michael's skin and aggravated him to no end. Starr however was a different story, the two seemed to agree often in group discussions when Michael deemed the topic worthy enough to give his input. And Michael found the Latina's dark dry humor and sarcasm refreshing to say the least, she offered some form of amusement in the purgatory they called a class. Michael tuned back into the girls' argument.

"Ok since you are having trouble seeing the big picture let me break it down for you; Kyle is one of my best friends so when the most important person in his life bailed on him because of you might I add, he ended up in my house moping, I that's how I got involved." Starr growled. "You knew exactly what the hell you were doing don't think for a second I don't see the game you're playing."

"What game am I playing Lopez?" Wendy asked.

"Don't play dumb it doesn't suit you." Starr muttered. " You sneak your way into his heart, just to break it and Kyle's sick of watching you destroy his best friend. You made a huge mistake trying to separate them." Starr smirked.

"Once he realizes that he can't have you and Kyle, you're done." Starr then proceeded to walk away. '_She is definitely gonna be waiting for preppy bitch to fuck up'_ Michael thought. It was no secret that Wendy had a habit of playing with Marsh's emotions, the two were constantly breaking up and getting back together it gave MIchael a headache just thinking about it. No one could quite figure out why Stan always took Wendy back even when she was the one who did the dumping. Michael could recall the first time it happened he had been in seventh grade Marsh was in fourth maybe fifth. Marsh went into a depression and had run with their crew for awhile. While Marsh's pain wasn't the pain they were looking for it was still pain and it still deeply affected the boy which further served to confuse him and other onlookers as to why Marsh kept going back to the bitch it made no sense. Michael cleared his head that topic was not worthy of the attention he was giving it and the last thing he needed was to develop a headache in this class.

Michael checked back in just in time to hear their teacher announce a group project. Michael groaned leaning forward and dropping his curl ridden head face first into the desk with a dull thud. The one thing he couldn't stand in this class were the group projects, and it was always his luck to get stuck with assholes who didn't want to do any work until the last minute. He stayed in that position as the teacher read of the groups. She was down to the last four names forcing Michael to pay attention to see who he was paired up with.

"Ok finally we have Wendy and..." Michael glanced to his right to see Starr staring intensely in the teacher's direction as if daring her to pair the two of them. Michael chuckled imagining the hell she would raise in protest to arrangement. "Token you two will be working together, that leaves Sophia and Michael."

"No one calls me Sophia anymore, Ms. Kerry" She replied. standing and grabbing her things, Michael watched her glide over to where he was sitting. Something about the way she walked was fascinating to Michael, maybe it was confident gait or the rhythmic sway of her hips, he always felt like she would break into dance at any moment. It was exhilarating. Starr sat beside him and he gazed up at her from his resting place on the desk.

"Yea well I do." Ms. Kerry replied.

A throaty chuckle escaped Starr's lips. "She does not hold back on that shade."

Michael smirked in response.

"So what topic are you feeling?" she asked. Michael gazed at the board several items had been crossed out signaling that other groups had already claimed them.

"How about gun violence?" he decided.

He watched as Starr pursed her lips in thought, her eyebrows knit together. Michael could tell she wasn't too keen on the idea but nonetheless she nodded.

"Wendy already has the topic I wanted, so I can work with that." she muttered pulling out paper and a pencil. "Here's my number and my email don't text or call before 8 on an off day unless someone's dead or dying."

"Or what?" he asked accepting the paper and putting it in his pocket.

"Or I will find you and I will kill you" she shot back with a grin.

"Ok Liam Neeson."

Starr laughed in shock, making Michael smirk.

"So Mr. Non-conformist isn't completely immune to pop culture." Starr taunted. "Who would've thought?"

Michael chuckled, he had a question on his mind but wasn't quite sure how to ask it.

"So, I was thinking since we have Friday off we could meet up and work on it." Michael murmured.

"Ok how's noon-ish?" Starr asked.

"Perfect, your place or mine?"

"How 'bout we meet at Tweak Bros' and then to your place, 'cuz I think my dad might be home for once."

"That's fine."

"Great." Starr grinned and began putting away her things as the bell rang signaling the end of school. Michael didn't know if she figured out his true intentions, Starr was by no means stupid, goofy absolutely but quick as a whip and observant as hell. He sighed as he watched her leave the room.

"What the hell did I get myself into?" he wondered.


End file.
